Meeting the Fridge
Rich Romer '88, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, remembers well his first meeting with William “The Refrigerator” Perry of the Chicago Bears.
“That's not going to look good on TV,” Romer remembers thinking after the 400-plus pounder ran over him on a kickoff return.
The next time, though, Romer got the best of Perry, leaving him on the ground at the end of the play.
“Find the biggest guy and punch him in the mouth,” Romer said.
It's an approach that might work better in, say, pro football than in the business world. But Romer made his point at the inaugural Athletics Senior Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday: take on the best and you'll learn how to win.
Romer, the keynoter at the dinner that honored 78 senior athletes, said that what he learned at Union in the classroom and on the field was the best preparation for finding success in life.
Romer, a mechanical engineering major who played defensive end for Union football, graduated with an armload of academic and athletic awards. After graduation, he went on to play for a year with the Bengals, which won the AFC conference title and went to the Superbowl. He is a product and marketing manager for Plug Power.
Prizes included sophomore female athlete of the year, Jill Ring; sophomore male athlete, Ridgley Harrison; freshman female athlete, Victoria Kuzman; and freshman male athlete, Adam Retersdorf. Val Belmonte presented the athletic director's awards to the senior athlete of the year, Melissa Matusewicz, and to the coach of the year, Brian Speck.
The event, held at the Edison Club in Rexford, ended with a video of the year's athletic highlights that also included a portrait of each senior.